In the summer of 2014, fifty days of war between Israeli and Palestinian forces resulted in the death of over 2,100 Gazan residents, including 513 children. Israel lost 66 soldiers (and 5 civilians), as they carried out their stated aim to stop Hamas members from firing rockets into Israel. The mission included the destruction of Hamas smuggling tunnels and their rocket arsenal. In the process, Israeli forces dropped some 20,000 tons of explosives on Gaza, forcing the evacuation of over 300,000 people and the destruction of entire neighborhoods. The dead and wounded were rushed to a few government hospitals, ill equipped for the onslaught. From one side of the battle, inside Gaza, a scene of horror played out like few had seen before.
UP IN ARMS--After a night of heavy bombardment of Gaza by Israeli forces, smoke rises from a fuel depot outside the town of Bureij, Gaza Strip on July 29, 2014. Power outage had an immediate effect on the public health situation, causing reduced water and sanitation services. What few hospitals remained open to treat the wounded become dependent on generators.